Dispensing carton with removable plastic window



Feb. 9, 1965 H. L. METZGER 3,168,976

DISPENSING CARTON WITH REMOVABLE PLASTIC wmnow Filed Feb. 26, 1964INVENTOR.

757922.33 l. Mezf yer United States Patent O1 3,168,976 DISPENSINGCARTON WITH REMOVABLE PLASTIC WINDOW Henry L. Metzger,Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y., assignor to KVP Sutherland Paper Company,Kalamazoo, Mich,

a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,497 2Claims. (Cl. 229-51) The present invention relates to dispensingcartons, and is more particularly concerned with dispensing cartonshaving a removable window provided in a panel thereof.

Cartons are commonly provided with windows so that the contents of thesealed carton may be viewed by pro-spective purchasers. In order toprotect the contents, the openings of the cartons defining the windowsare generally covered by a film of a transparent material such ascellophane, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, or any of numerous othersuitable materials.

When the carton contains materials such as facial tissues which are tobe dispensed therefrom, a dispensing opening may be provided byincorporating a line of weakness at the periphery of the window frame byscoring, perforating, slitting or otherwise weakening the material ofthe carton construction along the line so that the window may be readilyremoved.

In order that the window may be removed without damaging the face panelcontaining the window, the film is normally adhesively affixed to thepanel only along the border of the window frame and not beyond the lineof weakness defining the outer periphery of the frame. Where rectangularwindows are utilized, this structure raises no problem, as rectangularsheets of fihn of proper size may be readily cut out. However, whennon-rectangular windows are utilized, such as oval windows, it is noteconomically feasible to trim the transparent film exactly to the shapeof the window. Consequently, when the rectangular film is adhesivelyaffixed to the window frame, the corners of the film remain loose.Therefore, when the contents are subsequently loaded into the cartonfrom one end, the corners are frequently lifted and folded over,becoming visible in the window and detracting from the generalappearance of the carton. This has been found to be true even when therectangular transparent sheet is adhesively secured to the panel alongone edge thereof in addition to the immediate border of the window. Onthe other hand, if the entire rectangular sheet is adhesively affixed tothe face panel to prevent folding over of the corners, and even whenonly one edge of the sheet is secured to the panel in addition to theimmediate border of the window, the face panel frequently tears orbecomes disfigured when the window is removed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carton having aremovable window provided in a panel wherein the free corners of thetransparent film forming the window will not be folded over when thecontents of the carton are loaded through an open end. It is a furtherobject to provide a carton structure of the type described in which thewindow may be readily removed without tearing or otherwise defacing thepanel of the carton in which the window is located, and without leavingtorn or jagged portions of the transparent film in the opening formed bythe removal of the window. It is still a further object to provide astructure of the type described which may be inexpensively produced bymeans of automatic equipment. The accomplishment of the foregoing andadditional objects will become more fully apparent hereinafter.

The invention in its preferred embodiment is illustrated by theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank suitably cut and scored 3,168,976Patented Feb. 9, 1965 to provide a carton according to the presentinvention, and to which blank a transparent window-covering film hasbeen afiixed; and

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an erected, loaded and sealed cartonaccording to the invention.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing for a betterunderstanding of the invention, wherein all the parts are numbered andwherein the same numbers are used to refer to corresponding partsthroughout.

In a preferred form, the carton of the invention is constructed from anintegral blank as illustrated in FIG. 1, and comprises a top panel 1, abottom panel 2", and side panels 3 and 4 hingedly connected thereto. Aglue fiap 5 is hingedly connected to the bottom panel 2. End p'anels6-13 are provided for closing and sealing the ends of the carton.

A window frame 14 is provided in the top panel 1, the outer periphery ofwhich is defined by a line of weakness 15 which may be provided as byperforating, slit scoring, or otherwise weakening the material so thatthe frame may be readily and cleanly torn from the panel 1 The innerperiphery of the window frame 14 is defined by the edge of a cut-out 16.If desired, a retained area 17 may be provided integral with the frame14 to which printed matter such as trademarks, descriptive material, orthe like may be applied.

A transparent film 18 is 'adhesively afiixed to the window frame 14 andto the retained area 17 as indicated by strippling 19. The end of thetransparent film which is at the end of the carton into which thecontents are to be filled is adhesively afiixed to the panel 1 at anarrow strip 20 substantially across the entire end of the film. Betweenthe area of strip 20 and the window 14 a line of weakness 21 is providedacross the end of the film 18.

The carton of the present invention is erected and prepared for fillingby first gluing the fiap 5 to the free edge of the side panel 3 to forma tubular structure. One end of the carton is then closed and sealed byfolding in the flaps 69 and gluing them together in the usual manner.The contents are then inserted into the carton through the remainingopen end. As the contents enter the end of the carton, the adhesivelyafiixed portion 26 of the transparent film is held in place and is notpermitted to fold over, as would normally occur if the end of the filmwas not thus affixed. The end flaps 10-13 are then folded over andsealed in the usual manner, to provide a filled and sealed carton asshown in FIG. 2, in which the contents sealed into the carton may bereadily viewed from without.

The carton is prepared for dispensing by tearing out the window alongthe line of weakness 15. As the severed frame 14 is withdrawn from thetop panel 1, the transparent fihn 18 tears cleanly along the line ofweakness 21. The opening which remains is free of any plastic filmremnants. Moreover, the removal of the window is accomplished withoutany danger of tearing or disfiguring the panel 1.

The present invention has a number of advantages over prior artstructures. It permits substantially non-rectangular windows to becovered with rectangular sheets of transparent film, thus greatlyreducing the labor and processing costs of the carton as compared tocartons in which a transparent film cut to the exact shape of thenon-rectangular window frame is utilized or required. The presentinvention avoids the difiiculty generally encountered when rectangulartransparent film sheets are used, in which case the free edges of thefilm are usually folded over to become visible through the window whenthe contents of the carton are inserted at one end thereof, a conditionwhich greatly detracts from the appearance of the packaged product.Moreover, by providing a line of weakness between the end of the filmwhich is anchored to the panel and the window frame, the window may beremoved Without tearing or disfiguring the panel in which the window islocated, and without leaving torn portions of film visible in theopening created by the removal of the window. p I a It is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the exact details ofconstruction, operation, or exact materials or embodiments shown anddescribed, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent toone skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limitedonly by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A. dispensing carton comprising end and side panels and having aremovable window in a panel thereof, said whereby the desired contentsmay be loaded into said carton through said one end thereof withoutlifting and folding over the corners of said film and whereby, uponremoval of said Window, said film may be cleanly severed at said line ofweakness without tearing or disfigulnation .of said carton.

2. A dispensing carton comprising end and side panels and having aremovable window in a panel thereof, said window comprising asubstantially non-rectangular removable frame the periphery of which isdefined by a line of Weakness and having a central opening, asubstantially rectangular transparent film positioned over said openingand adhesively aflixed to said frame and having one end thereofadhesively afiixed to said panel outside the area of said frame adjacenta carton end, said film being provided 10 with a line of weakness oversubstantially the entire width thereof separating the area at which saidfilm is affixed to said panel from the line of weakness defining theperiphery of said frame, whereby the desired contents may be loaded intosaid carton through said one end thereof 15 without lifting and foldingover the corners of said film, and whereby upon removal of said windowsaid film may be cleanly severed at said line of weakness withouttearing or disfiguration of said carton.

GEORGE O.-RALSTON, Primary Examiner.

1. A DISPENSING CARTON COMPRISING END AND SIDE PANELS AND HAVING AREMOVABLE WINDOW IN A PANEL THEREOF, SAID WINDOW COMPRISING A REMOVABLEFRAME THE PERIPHERY OF WHICH IS DEFINED BY A LINE OF WEAKNESS, ANDHAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, A TRANSPARENT FILM ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO FRAMEAND HAVING ONE END THEREOF ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO SAID PANEL EXTERNAL OFTHE AREA OF SAID FRAME ADJACENT A CARTON END, SAID FILM BEING PROVIDEDWITH A LINE OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING OVER THE WIDTH THEREOF AND SEPARATINGTHE AREA AT WHICH SAID FILM IS AFFIXED TO SAID PANEL FROM THE LINE OFWEAKNESS DEFINING THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FRAME, WHEREBY THE DESIREDCONTENTS MAY BE LOADED INTO SAID CARTON THROUGH SAID ONE END THEREOFWITHOUT LIFTING AND FOLDING OVER THE CORNERS OF SAID FILM AND WHEREBY,UPON REMOVAL OF SAID WINDOW, SAID FILM MAY BE CLEANLY SEVERED AT SAIDLINE OF WEAKNESS WITHOUT TEARING OR DISFIGURATION OF SAID CARTON.